To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

Upon hearing Su Sihai's name, Su Sihai's face immediately flashed into the Emperor's mind, followed by the Fourth Prince's face.

If you don't look closely, you really won't notice the resemblance between the Fourth Prince and Lord Su.

I hadn't thought of that before, so I didn't notice it.

"In which year did Su Sihai become the top scholar in the imperial examination?"

"Six months after Consort Mei entered the palace."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression immediately darkened: "I remember that Su Sihai has a legitimate son in his household. Find a pretext to bring his legitimate son into the palace."

He had originally intended to invite Su Sihai along, but considering Su Sihai was not in the capital for the next few days, he figured he could ask Su Sihai's eldest son instead.

Xiao Zhan understood that the Emperor had become suspicious, and nodded in agreement: "Your subject will make the arrangements immediately."

……

The Emperor read an article and wished to meet the scholar. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the article was written by Su Guanzheng.

"Guanzheng, your article was excellent, and the Emperor greatly admired it. The Emperor summoned you this time only to ask you a few questions. As long as you answer them well and catch the Emperor's eye, you may receive a few words of guidance from him, which will be enough for you."

"Thank you for the reminder, teacher." Su Guan was overjoyed to hear that his essay had caught the emperor's eye. As long as the emperor recognized his talent, regardless of whether he could become the top scholar in the imperial examination, he would definitely have a place by the emperor's side in the future.

When Su Guan came out of the academy, he saw that Xiao Zhan was waiting for him, and he felt a little lost.

"This student greets Prince Zhan."

"Young Master Su, His Majesty has ordered me to come and take you there. Please follow me."

Su Guan followed nervously behind Xiao Zhan.

Soon, Su Guanzheng followed Xiao Zhan into the Imperial Study.

This was Su Guanzheng's first time facing the current emperor directly, and he was nervous and apprehensive.

"Student Su Guanzheng greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor."

"So you are Su Guanzheng. Raise your head and let me see you." The Emperor looked at the young man in white kneeling on the ground and told him to raise his head.

Su Guan raised his head, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Su Sihai in his youth.

……

"Your Highness." Changfu, the Fourth Prince's eunuch, rushed over. "I just received news that His Majesty has summoned Young Master Su to the palace. May I ask what the matter is?"

The fourth prince's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this: "What did you say?"

"His Majesty summoned the young master, saying that he greatly admires the young master's talent and wants to test him on some questions privately."

"Lord Su is not at home, and the Emperor summoned the young master alone. This is probably not just a simple test of his talent. Changfu, we don't have much time left. I must seize the time to gain Zhou Wenjun's trust and start the uprising as soon as possible. Success or failure depends on this." The Fourth Prince had a bad feeling.

He had a feeling that the Emperor might have discovered something, so he took advantage of Lord Su's absence to investigate.

"Go to the palace and find out why Father Emperor summoned Young Master Su. If there is anything unusual, inform me immediately."

Judging by the timing, the medicine Su Ziyu gave Su Mingyue should take effect tonight. As long as her father finds a reason to take her away tonight, she will naturally fall into their hands.

……

Looking at the face before him that so closely resembled Su Sihai, the Emperor suddenly realized that the man's appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Fourth Prince. Their features were exactly like Su Sihai's.

The Emperor gave Su Guanzheng some gifts and then asked Xiao Zhan to stay.

"Ah Zhan, I'm still a little worried about the fourth prince since he came back this time. Please keep an eye on him for me, see who he meets and what he does, and tell me everything, no matter how small."

“Your Majesty, you suspect him. He is a filial son and would never dare to have such thoughts.” Xiao Zhan feigned surprise.

"Ever since his mother's death, he has been constantly at odds with me. He's been at the border for a year now; who knows if his ambition has grown stronger? I must find out if he's truly filial or if he's using filial piety as a pretext for nefarious acts. And what about yesterday's goods? How's the investigation going? Is it related to him?"

"I am still investigating." Of course, Xiao Zhan would not present the evidence so quickly.

……

Aunt Liu from the Su family paced back and forth in the room. She said to Que Ling, "Que Ling, I feel uneasy, as if something terrible is about to happen. Has Master returned yet? I hope nothing has happened."

"Madam, Master will be alright. Perhaps the Fourth Prince was performing a ritual for you in the palace, and you were affected to some extent. This day every year is the anniversary of your death, and the Fourth Prince always has to do something for outsiders to see. If you are not feeling well, why don't you ask Miss to come and take a look at you?"

"No need." Aunt Liu looked out the window. "I wonder how the Fourth Prince is doing in the palace. I wonder if he will be able to return to the border safely this time. If he can, I hope he stays at the border forever and never comes back."

"The Fourth Prince has his own plans, so Madam, please don't worry. Let me help you go for a walk outside the courtyard. The air is fresh, and the flowers are in full bloom. Seeing this should make you feel better."

"Then let's take a look." Aunt Liu thought for a moment, realizing that she was probably overthinking, which was why she felt short of breath and had a tightness in her chest.

"Aunt Liu." Su Guan had just returned from the palace. He had gone to see Madam Ruan first and was on his way back to his residence when he encountered Aunt Liu, so he naturally went up to greet her.

"Oh, it's young master. Why are you back so early today?" Aunt Liu asked with a smile.

"The Emperor saw an article I wrote earlier and liked it very much. He summoned me to question me. After leaving the palace, I came straight back and did not return to the academy."

Aunt Liu's heart tightened: "The Emperor summoned you! Young master, you're quite remarkable. I wonder if the Emperor said anything to you?"

"When I first went in, he stared at my face for a long time, then asked me a few questions about the article and told me to go back. He also gave me some pen and ink and told me to study hard and serve the court like my father."

Upon hearing Su Guanzheng's first words, Aunt Liu felt as if something was blocking her chest.

Has His Majesty discovered something? The reward is just a facade; he really just wants to take a closer look at Su Guanzheng.

At first glance, the fourth brother and Zheng'er don't look alike, but upon closer inspection, the two brothers do share some similarities.

"Young master is really amazing. You must study hard and become like your father in the future."

"I will try my best." Su Guanzheng said with a beaming smile, "I won't disturb Aunt Liu's walk any longer. I'll go back to the house first."

As soon as Su Guanzheng left, Aunt Liu could no longer stand still.

Que Ling quickly caught her: "Madam, be careful."

"Que Ling, quick, help me back to my room." The Emperor must be suspicious. She needs to write to Si'er and tell him to be careful.

Just as she was about to pick up her pen, she suddenly remembered that since the Emperor had summoned the young master, he must have received some news. It was not a good idea for her to contact the fourth son on her own now.

"When will the master return? Send her a message saying that I am seriously ill and that he should come back as soon as possible."